Chi Omega alumnae find much in common over cards

Some of these sisters were born 60 years apart, grew up in different states and went to colleges at opposite ends of the country. At one time or another, all joined the Chi Omega sorority.

Eventually they landed in Columbus, where they came across a bridge group for alumnae that has endured through five decades.

Some of these sisters were born 60 years apart, grew up in different states and went to colleges at opposite ends of the country.

At one time or another, all joined the Chi Omega sorority.

Eventually they landed in Columbus, where they came across a bridge group for alumnae that has endured through five decades.

The 16 members, ranging in age from 34 to 94, meet once a month over cards, bottles of wine and bowls of M&M's - required at every meeting.

Through the years, bridge night has provided a setting for bridal and baby showers, and a time for consolation over divorces and funerals.

"You talk about a support group; this is it," said Lillian Bernhagen, who joined the sorority at Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware.

"These gals have been there every time I ever needed them and even more so."

The group, an offshoot of the Chi Omega Alumnae Chapter of Columbus, was formed in the late 1950s by new wives and mothers looking for friendship and a social evening (which often lasted until 1 or 2 a.m.).

"I made the majority of my new friends through that group," said Marjorie Knight, an original member, 78, who moved to Columbus after graduating from the University of Pittsburgh.

"I was an only child, and so was my husband. The Chi Omegas have really become my sisters."

The club has served the same purpose for newer members, including Charlie Michaels: After her relocation from Los Angeles in 2005, she sought involvement in Chi Omega for the first time since her days at Iowa State University.

"It was wonderful, the way you just so seamlessly integrate into the community," the 60-year-old said. "You're guaranteed friends - really nice people to be with."

Some members met well before joining the club, though.

Elaine Bennett and Cindy Ensley, both 68, have kept in touch since Bennett chose Ensley as her "little sister" in the Ohio State University chapter. ("It was a good pick," Bennett said. "Cindy's a nice girl.")

Sue Downey and Mary Easton, both 59, often played marathon games of bridge with sisters at Miami University, where one filled in for another if she had to leave for class.

Downey also has a Chi O connection she couldn't have imagined years ago: In 1968, Bernhagen was her sex-education teacher at what was then Worthington High School.

"She was very explicit," recalled Downey, turning to Bernhagen, 94, during a recent get-together. "You told it like it was."

"That's exactly right," Bernhagen said.

Andrea Sevel and Kelly Mullenix, both 34, joined the alumnae group while looking for social activities after graduating from Roanoke (Va.) College. Neither had played bridge before, so they took lessons with other beginners for a year before advancing to what they call "big bridge."

Along with the knowledge of a new game, they gained friendships with the other women - even though, as Sevel innocently mentioned, she hadn't been born when some of them joined the club. ("That's disgusting," Downey quipped.)

"It's like having aunts and moms," Sevel said. "They've been through it all, so it's nice to talk with them about work and home and the baby."

Amid chatter about those topics, the ladies easily become distracted from the game. Not that the stakes are high: $1 a player, up from a quarter years ago.

They also periodically wander to the food area or to other tables, where the women are happy to weigh in on strategic decisions in other games.

"What the heck do I do with that?" asked Michaels, fanning out her cards before Susan Brooks.

Brooks, 70, looked up and dropped her voice to a whisper: "I think that's when you lie."

The women figure they have common personality traits, with many of them having served as officers in their sorority chapters. Not that college comes up very often.

"It's funny," Sevel said. "We don't really talk about that."

For the women, the Chi Omega experience centers not just on those four years but on the ensuing decades of friendship.

Joining was "one of the best moves I've ever made," Brooks said, "because of this group."

asaunders@dispatch.com

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